Growing Confident in Nature

“Making friends was my favorite thing about summer camp,” Isaac shared enthusiastically about his time at the Urban Ecology Center. He is looking forward to coming back this summer (especially for the beach trips where he and his friends discovered silverfish in the water).

Isaac proudly recalled other explorations too—finding interesting bugs during nature walks and his first-ever sighting of a fox spider with babies. His eyes lit up describing these adventures.

His mother, Abby, chose the Urban Ecology Center a few years ago after seeing how much Isaac enjoyed nature walks with the Center at his preschool, through the Center’s Preschool Environmental Education Project (PEEP). “I wanted him to have an experience deeply connected to nature,” she explained, “focused on exploration rather than just swimming in a pool.”

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The impact has been remarkable. “It really helped his confidence,” Abby noted, “both in making friends and in his comfort outside.” This newfound confidence extended beyond camp. Once, arriving home, they spotted a caterpillar that Isaac immediately recognized from his camp learning.

What made the UEC special was how it fostered independence. “They do so much outside—they eat outside, they’re outside when it’s raining, they carry their backpacks,” Abby explained. The camp encouraged unstructured play, allowing children time at places like Turkey Run for deeper exploration without being rushed.

Their family’s outdoor time has also transformed. Isaac now confidently identified plants and shared knowledge about creatures like roly-polies that “curl up when you touch them so they don’t get eaten.”

“We as parents learned a lot from Mr. Flower about how to interact with our kids outside,” Abby reflected. These lessons helped them teach their children to be brave while respecting their own limits—invaluable guidance for family nature adventures.

Isaac’s younger siblings have also fallen in love with the Center, through PEEP and through family visits to the Center. His four-year old brother says goodbye to “the magic bridge” whenever they leave, calling out, “Bye magic bridge, I love you, see you later!

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“It felt like the kind of camp that doesn’t exist anymore,” Abby concluded. “It invited kids to slow down, look closely, ask questions, play, and get messy.” For their family, and so many more, the Urban Ecology Center has become a magical forest escape in the middle of the city.

Each year, 40% of the UEC camp spots are reserved for families in need of financial assistance. Because of generous donors  more children have access to the extraordinary combination of natural wonder and friendship.